Kenji

Spellings & scripts●

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 2 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Kenji is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Portuguese given name36K records spelled Kenji7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, Peru, Philippines, United States

  Languages: Portuguese, Spanish

  Also written Kënji, Kênji, Kénji, Kenjí

• English given name26K records spelled Kenji6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Netherlands, Australia, Philippines

  Languages: English, Western Frisian, Dutch

  Also written Ken-Ji

• French given name11K records spelled Kenji2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, Martinique, Guadeloupe

  Also written Ken-Ji

• Thai given name619 records spelled Kenji14 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Thailand, Laos, United States, Hong Kong

  Languages: Thai, Lao

  Also written เคนจิ, เค็นจิ, เคนจ, Kinji, เคนิจิ

55 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Kenji is also recorded in one other lexicon, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In men, The seed of the Nduvu. Like a fir cone closed, 4x1 inches. They say the toucan swallows

  as a word·Mende Natural History Vocabulary

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 99 years between 1913–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Miyazawa Kenjib. 1896JPJapanese poet and author of children's literature (1896-1933)
• Kenji Mizoguchib. 1898JPJapanese film director and screenwriter (1898-1956)
• Kenji Utsumib. 1937JPJapanese actor and voice actor (1937–2013)
• Kenji Kawaib. 1957JPJapanese composer
• Kenta Satoib. 1957JPnot in their usual nameJapanese actor
• Kenji Kamiyamab. 1966JPJapanese anime director
• Kenji Ohtsukib. 1966JPJapanese singer
• Kenji Hamadab. 1972JPJapanese voice actor
• Kenji Nojimab. 1976JPJapanese voice actor
• Mike Shinodab. 1977USnot in their usual nameAmerican musician, rapper, singer and songwriter

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 444 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Kenji?

We estimate roughly 21 thousand people bear Kenji (counting its spellings and scripts) across 10 countries in our records.

In which country does Kenji have the most bearers?

Kenji is most frequently recorded in Japan, where it is most often spelled kenji.

How common is Kenji compared with other names?

In Japan, Kenji is the 15th most common given name of 355,102 given names recorded there.

Is Kenji a male or female name?

Kenji is recorded for both men and women. We don't publish a percentage split: a record's gender belongs to the person and is attached to every given name on that record, so names in cultures where a name string also carries a parent's or spouse's given name pick up large cross-gender counts.

What does the name Kenji mean?

Recorded meaning: ‘Intelligent ruler’.